***
“He did what?” Becca questioned as she sipped on a bottle of Corona with a small slice of lime tucked in the neck. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She wore a pair of neon yellow Raybans and an orange printed bikini.
“He brought me roses on his way to work this morning. This was after our first real date last night. I think he fell out of a movie, because he’s just way too good to be true. And that country accent he’s got goin’ on. Fucking damn,” Emily replied while picking up her bottle of Woodchuck cider out of the sand next to her lawn chair. She stood up, taking a sip of her beer and placed it back down before she walked down the beach toward the water.
“Don’t run him off. You have to see if he’s good in bed first.” Becca laughed, following Emily. “Because if he is good in bed, you’ve finally found yourself a keeper, girl.”
They waded into the crystal clear, sky blue water to escape from the hot Florida sun. The dip in the ocean was exactly what Emily needed to cool down. Since getting out of the hospital, she couldn’t take the heat as long as she typically could. She wondered if it was because of the medications they continued to have her on until her follow up appointment the following week.
“I could have found out last night, if I wanted to.” Emily shot Becca a smug smile and made her way back to the shore.
“Well, why the hell didn’t you?” Becca was almost yelling at her. Emily’s face started turning red with embarrassment.
“I didn’t want to. Yet.” The more Emily thought about her admission, the more she realized there was something more between her and Avery than she bargained for when she agreed to spend time with him. When they were together, she could be herself. There were no expectations of being someone else or promises of a future or a life together; they were simply just enjoying each other’s company. Emily didn’t want to complicate that.
Their attraction was undeniable, but one of her biggest mistakes in the past was jumping into bed way too soon. If this was something that would last, she would take things as slow as she could tolerate without going insane.
“Did you take a picture of this boy for me yet?” Becca snapped her out of her own head. Emily started laughing at her.
“No, you’re a damn creeper. You know that, right?” Emily teased her as they sat back down on their beach chairs.
“Can you blame a girl for wanting to see the guy who has my best friend all doe eyed? Don’t even try to play it off, Em. You would do the same thing!” Emily couldn’t even deny it. She was right, and she would be beyond pissed off if Becca still shut her out.
“I have an idea.” Emily laughed as she started plotting. Picking up her phone from her beach bag, she typed out a text message to Avery.
What firehouse do you work at?
Emily patiently waited for a reply from Avery, but she didn’t have to wait long at all.
Station #1 on Beach Street. Why?
Not far from her apartment at all.
“Wanna make some brownies, Becca?” Her best friend gave her a confused look. “Ya know, we could go drop them off at the firehouse for all the firefighters. Because we are good Samaritans, and all.” Simultaneously both girls started laughing. Becca loved the way her best friend plotted, especially when she actually benefitted from her subterfuge.
“Why don’t we pack up and get on that.” Becca started packing her beach bag while Emily pulled her phone back out to reply to Avery.
Oh, just some good Samaritans want to do something nice for the local firemen.
She joined her best friend in packing up their beach gear before making it up the stairs toward her apartment. They unlocked the door and dragged the bulky chairs down the hallway to the laundry room. Emily’s text tone went off in the kitchen; she had no doubt of who it was.
Does that mean I get to see you again today?
Emily felt warmth settle into her chest as a smile spread across her face. He sounded excited to see her, just as excited as she would be to see him once again.
***
The afternoon had become busy at Station 1. Avery had been running calls all afternoon. Car accidents, a kitchen fire, and of course a strange odor which turned out to be nothing. He was just settling in to order something for dinner when the buzzer for the front entrance alerted the entire station there was someone at the door. He jumped off the couch, hoping no one would notice him scrambling down toward the front of the station.
Tom was right on his heels. “Why are you running for the door? You know who’s there, don’t you?” He continued without batting an eye at Tom.
When Avery got to the door, Captain Sullivan was standing with Emily and another woman he’d never seen before. Their arms overflowed with trays of baked goods, something that must have taken them hours to accomplish. When Emily noticed Avery approaching her, she couldn’t keep her face from lighting up with joy.
“These two young ladies wanted to thank y’all for responding to Miss Taylor’s accident last week,” Captain Sullivan spoke as he winked at Avery. “Firefighter Martin, why don’t you show them to the kitchen and help them? You too, Hampton.”
The two men took the trays of goodies out of the women’s arms and led them to their kitchen. Becca took that opportunity to look at Emily with wide eyes as she mouthed, “HOLY SHIT!”
“Thank you ladies,” Tom said, placing the trays on the counter.
“Oh, it was no problem. I wanted to do something nice for you guys. I mean, you did cut me out of my car last week.” Emily nervously pushed her hair behind her ears while fidgeting with her shirt.
“I’m sorry, but before any of the other guys come in here I have to do this.” Avery wrapped his arms around Emily’s waist, pulled her in to his chest and took a deep breath, soaking in her delicious aroma before leaning in to taste her lips. Their lips crashed together urgently, exploring one another’s mouths. When Avery heard a throat clear behind him, he released Emily only to see Captain Sullivan standing there with a rather amused look on his face.
“Oh. My. God. I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to get him in any kind of trouble!” Emily interjected before the Captain could say anything. “I truly wanted to do something nice for everyone here. I’ll just be on my way.”
Emily grabbed Becca’s arm and turned for the door. Captain Sullivan wasn’t about to let them leave that easily, though. “You girls don’t have to go. Get back here.” They both stopped dead in their tracks, slowly turning around to meet the gaze of the towering man. Emily found him to be eerily familiar; she couldn’t place him, but his kind eyes gave him away when he looked down at her petite frame.
“Come on back in, girls.” He turned back toward the large glass doors, holding them open as the women passed through. Emily looked around, noting several more firemen standing nearby, staring at the two of them. Many more experienced their minor show moments earlier. Looking at Becca, who was soaking in all the testosterone in the air, she started to feel more self-conscious than she had in a long time. Her best friend started to sense the unease in Emily’s stiff body. Before she could do anything to calm her down, Avery was at her side.
“Guys, this is Emily Taylor. Emily, meet the guys, and Kelsey.” A short slender woman with a dark pixie cut peered around all the men, giving them a shy wave. When their eyes met in greeting, Kelsey looked at her quizzically. The woman eyed Emily up and down, making her increasingly uncomfortable. “Do I know you from someplace?” Kelsey finally questioned. The room roared with laughter.
Avery looked at Emily and then back toward Kelsey before he spoke, “Yeah, we transported this fine young lady to the hospital last week. Remember that crushed little VW Beetle?”
Her eyes became soft with sympathy as she eyed Emily, walking toward her. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay? That was a nasty wreck!” Kelsey looked her over with concern. The closer she came, the more Emily noticed about her. A delicate little stud sat in her right nostril, and the bright blue color complimented her to
ffee toned skin with perfection, right alongside her dark mahogany eyes. She was an extremely pretty woman, the polar opposite of Emily in every way.
“Yeah, I ended up with a nasty bump on my head and a little memory loss. But nothing too big, thankfully. I scored a new car out of the deal, though.” She let out an awkward laugh. Maybe they wouldn’t understand her twisted sense of humor, she thought.
As Becca flirted with handfuls of firemen, Avery stared at Emily every chance he got. They all exchanged pleasantries and she got to know the men he spent his days with.
When they all attacked her baked goods, Avery took the opportunity to pull her away from everyone for a private moment. “Come with me.” His voice dripped with his southern twang as he tenderly took her soft hand in his, leading her out of the grand room and onto the apparatus floor. Fire trucks of all shapes and sizes were lined up behind the closed bay doors. She was as mesmerized as a little girl would be, looking around and taking in all the elements. Before she could take in too much, Avery pulled her through a small door leading into a locker room.
As soon as her body made it through the doorway, still connected by their interlaced fingers, Avery crushed his mouth against hers. The passion flowing between their straining bodies was undeniable. He couldn’t get close enough to her to satisfy his desperate need.
Neither of them wanted to let the other one go, but Avery slowly pulled back, short of breath and dazed by the intensity of their longing. He tangled his hands through her neatly styled hair. Keeping her perfectly coiffed was not his primary objective, but satisfying his craving for her was. Stepping back, he stared into her eyes, memorizing her beautiful face. He opened his mouth to speak the words he’d been dying to say since she first appeared in his firehouse. “God, I missed you,” he admitted, running his hand along her blushing cheek, stopping to cup her chin while he bent in to taste her well-loved lips once again.
Every part of her welcomed his passion, from her lips to her toes and all parts in between, especially those between her legs. Wrapping her arms around his neck, driving her hands into his tousled hair as his arm slipped around her waist, he nestled her closer to his muscular body. As her hands massaged his head, he let out a deep throaty moan, snapping Emily back to reality. They might be alone at this moment, but they were in public, at his job none the less. She wrestled with her consciousness before pulling away from his lips, showering them with light kisses while parting.
“Wow. You were saying?” she choked out while her hands rose to tuck a strand of messy hair behind her ears. Did he say he missed me? Her heart lurched at the thought of their connection. Their relationship had not been long or full of meaning to this point, but there was something about the way she felt about him when they were together that she just couldn’t shake. It was just too perfect to be true, at least for someone with her shitty luck in life.
“I was saying, Emily, that I’ve been missing you. I’m starting to hate my job keeping me away from you for days.” A radiant smile spread across his lips while tugging Emily back into his arms for a simple embrace.
His tall frame dwarfed her petite stature, but she loved how safe she felt in his hug. It was slowly becoming her favorite place in the whole world. Her heart pounded as she could feel her blood rush in her ears. Could he be the one?
“I missed you too. I missed this.” She motioned between the two of them. “I like this. A lot, Avery.” Her smile became bigger as she grabbed both of his hands, lacing her fingers between his. “I’m glad I slaved in my hot kitchen for three hours to bake for y’all.” They both let out a laugh, knowing her thanking the company wasn’t really the genuine reason she morphed into Martha Stewart for the afternoon with her best friend.
“Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you say the word y’all?” He laughed, taking her lips once more. She moved in, placing both of her hands against his warm chest before backing away and laying her head over his heart.
“As much as I want to hide in this closest, or whatever the hell this is all night, we left my slutty best friend out there with an ass ton of firemen. I’m worried.” They both erupted in laughter while heading for the locker room door.
“You really are worried about her, huh?” Avery questioned as they turned the corner to see Becca and Tom making out against the back of the fire truck on the other side of the door. His hand snaked up her shirt while hers was clearly planted on his crotch. Emily turned to Avery with a grin on her face, nodding toward the oblivious couple.
“See!” Emily mouthed while eyeing Avery and flailing her arms in the air. Just then Avery cleared his throat, disrupting their passionate moment. Both turned around with shock on their face until they noticed it was only Emily and Avery. With a relieved sigh, they fell apart with laughter.
“Did I call this or what?” Emily spoke while staring at Becca, waiting for some kind of explanation. Her friend’s face was red with embarrassment, or was that just from the heavy petting she was caught indulging in?
“I have nothing to say for myself. Well, maybe two words. Hot. Fireman.” She laughed as she turned for the front door. It wasn’t until Tom noticed she was walking away that he turned on his heels and started chasing her.
“Can I at least get your number?” he asked, running after her.
Chapter Five
Back to Work?
It had been two days since Emily spent several heated moments in a firehouse locker room with Avery, and she couldn’t get him out of her mind. Two nights in a row she’d dreamt about their meeting. But instead of them parting and going their own ways, he took her right there against the lockers. Both mornings she’d woke up and pleasured herself in the shower, just as she had after their first date.
The more thought she put into it, the more she just wanted to throw any reservations she had to the wind and screw the hell out of Avery the next time she saw him. It was nice to think about, but she would never act on it.
Their text messaging conversations had remained constant over the past two days. Any time Avery wasn’t on the fire truck, or actually working, he was texting her. She loved every minute of the attention. Because in reality, she was bored out of her mind. She wasn’t going back to work anytime soon, because her memory loss had continued to mess with her career. After talking for hours with her older sister Amelia, she was contemplating sending in a letter of resignation. Continuing to work there just didn’t seem right, and after watching her life flash before her eyes, she was desperate to move into a field she genuinely enjoyed. She just hadn’t decided what exactly that field would be yet.
Tonight Avery would be picking her up for their second official date. They planned on dining at a small restaurant on the water, only a mile from the house she grew up in. The same house which still sat empty and neglected. Because in her selfishness, she couldn’t bear to enter it, live in it nor put her childhood home on the market. She sighed and slumped onto the living room sofa, deciding it was time to head out and pick up a new dress for her date, anything to push the thoughts of her dead parents from her mind. She would have to deal with it all soon enough, but today just wasn’t going to be that day.
Sliding on her purple jelly flip-flops and grabbing her purse and keys from the end table at the front door, she bid Flip farewell and headed out. She turned back to lock her apartment door when she heard a voice from behind her call her name.
“Emily?” As she turned toward the strangely familiar voice, she was struck with momentary panic, meeting the eyes of the doctor who had cared for her after the accident.
“Dr. Hart?” She turned the key, unlocking the door, hoping he didn’t notice. She would make a quick escape into her home if she needed to get away from him. Scanning the courtyard of the building, she looked for any of her neighbors, but for once no one was in sight, not even her pesky neighbor, Kevin. Damn it! He’s always around. Where the hell is he when I actually need him?
“Emily, please call me Jared. There’s no need for us to be so formal o
utside of the hospital.” He flashed her a smile while walking toward her. His eyes scanned her body while she watched him cautiously. She stood motionless, waiting for him to make a move, or say something because she sure as hell wasn’t going to.
“I was wondering if you had a couple of minutes to talk?” His voice was shaky and he seemed uncertain of himself and what he was asking of her. Surely he realized that after their last meeting, a simple conversation might send her running in the opposite direction.
“Um, I was actually on my way out. Is there a reason you’re here?” she questioned him. She’d continued to go through the photos since being released from the hospital. Maybe it was some kind of internal defense mechanism, but she didn’t have a single memory which included him, good or bad.
“I was wondering if we could have coffee sometime, maybe talk since it’s been so long? I miss you, Ems.” He stretched his hand out and touched her hair, before running a single finger down her cheek. His touch was cold and unsettling, totally unlike Avery’s. She relocked the door and pulled the key out of the dead-bolt, wrapping her keychain lanyard around her wrist as she turned to her car.
“I’m not sure if that would be a good idea, but I will consider it. For some reason, I don’t think I want anything to do with you.” She clicked the unlock button on her new car, setting the lights flashing as she made her way through the parking lot to her designated spot. Jared followed closely behind her. Emily couldn’t bring herself to turn around and look at him again. Something about it all just rubbed her wrong.
“But Ems, please. Just one hour, coffee, in public. I’ll do anything,” he begged as she opened the door of her car.
“I’ll think about it,” was all she said as she lowered herself into the driver’s seat and closed the door, instantly hitting the lock button as her heart raced. The fact that he not only knew where she lived, but also had the nerve to come to her home made her feel vulnerable.
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